Mali: Islamist militants kill 17 Tuareg civilians
Suspected Islamist militants killed at least 16 Tuareg civilians in attacks in northern Mali, days after 40 Tuareg were killed in similar raids on neighbouring villages, local authorities said.
The attacks occurred on Tuesday in Tindibawen, east of Menaka near the Niger border and in a nearby village, Menaka Mayor Nanout Kotia told Reuters.
Local lawmaker Bajan Ag Hamatou said 16 Tuareg civilians were killed in the attack. The MSA-GATIA, a Tuareg militia coalition in northern Mali, said jihadists executed 17 civilians, including elderly people burnt alive in their homes.
“Most of those killed belong to the Imghad group, the ethnicity of the majority of GATIA fighters,” said Kotia.